Welcome To The Winning Mind Set Tip Of The Week - Week 8.

So do you think a coach might be out of your reach, maybe they are unaffordable? The truth is you cannot afford not to hire a coach. Learn more with this weeks mind set tip.

The Power of Coaching/The Achiever's Best Kept Secret

In this week's tip I would like to share with you the best kept secret weapon of highly successful people, their coaches and mentors. If you are an athlete, you are well aware of the value of a great coach. There are few champions that have not had the benefit of an extraordinary person guiding them toward their success.

Behind every athletic win there is a coach, behind a champion there are many. A good coach will help guide you in times of doubt, support you in times of fear, tell you the truth, like no one else, keep you focused on your priorities, expect the best out of you, help you set and achieve your goals. Oh, and they are a ruthlessly results-oriented breed.

My coach told me, "Larry, no matter how much you work at it, there's always someone out there who's working just a little harder - if you take 150 practice shots, he's taking 200." And that drove me.

-Larry BirdHall of Fame basketball player for the Boston Celtics & coach.

Finding A Coach:

In order to find the right type of coach you must first understand what you really want to achieve. A great coach is a specialist, someone who has experience beyond your normal scope, and delegating the areas that you wish to succeed in to this individual can increase your performance curve to a level beyond anything you will accomplish on your own.

I have had and still have many excellent coaches. I cherish the coaches I've had and the difference they've made in my life. Even the bad coaches I've had, I learned valuable lessons from, such as: I'll never be like that.

Don't coach everyone on the same level, not everyone learns or progresses at the same pace or at the same level of absorption. Don't punish for error, support the qualities of the individual. Recognize the difference between abusive behavior and guidance. Tell your subject what you want from them, not what you don't want.

Be kind and look out for every individuals best interest, not your own.

Great Coaches:

Great coaches can be found in the most amazing places.

They can be a father (like mine was) or an accountant, a pastor, a personal trainer, a personal development specialist, a mental performance and physical performance specialist (such as myself), a martial arts instructor, a dance coach, a best friend, a mentor, a business coach, a relationship counselor, a career counselor, a financial consultant, a nutritionist, a computer guru, an exercise physiologist, and the list goes on.

My Mom would never let us quit. She always taught us the importance of sticking with it, even when times are tough. We didn't just hear her, we watched her.

-Theo RatliffAll Star NBA center for the Atlanta Hawks

How Can You Use This?

Personal Strengths:

The first step is to write down a list of your personal strengths. Now, write down a list of areas that need improvement. Next, list the most important skills you need to develop to be absolutely excellent in your field.

Distinguish your level of competence in these areas honestly by rating them 1-6. One being poor and six being exceptional.

In one of my recent tips, I referred to the value of modeling and mimicry as a primal learning tool that can accelerate your skill and help you learn the skills that successful people have, that have made them great.

Hiring:

Hire a coach that can help you specifically in the areas where you need improvement. An excellent coach has seen the trials, and mistakes of the ones he's worked with.

Ask your coach what qualities he's seen in the most successful people he's coached or observed, and you will avoid huge mistakes, improve the use of your time, save money, and improve your skills in any given area exponentially.

If you think you can't afford to train with a good coach, think again. You can't afford not to.

Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to beginning any diet or exercise program or taking any dietary supplement. The content on our website is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace a relationship with a qualified healthcare professional.